Beyblade Underground
by Pyroteknix
Summary: The Bladebreakers and their allies are lured to the harsh world of underground beyblading, where a twisted man forces them to participate in gladatorial matches against similarly well-skilled rogue beybladers for entertainment. RM, ME
1. Kidnapped

Beyblade Underground  
  
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Mariah swatted away a pestering fly as she carried the groceries she was assigned to buy back up to her family in the mountain village of the White Tigers. The fly came back again and landed on her cheek and she reflexively slapped a hand up to squash it, only to smack her face instead.   
  
"Ow! Stupid fly..."   
  
She cursed. A chill breeze froze her insides for but an instant and she stopped for a moment, realizing some form of danger. Normally she wouldn't feel afraid of much, as she had become quite the martial arts master in the three years since the Bladebreakers had defeated the Demolition Boys. But this danger had an undertone in it, which yelled at her to run away as fast as she could. Her legs, however, did not move at all, completely rooted to where she was.  
  
"Who's there?"  
  
She asked and remembered a legend Kevin had told her to scare her once. Something about meeting your death if you called out to the cold darkness that followed you. Mariah shivered and looked around nervously.  
  
An ominous screech filled her ears and she screamed as a bird of prey swooped down and knocked the groceries out of her hand. She spun around as she heard a dull thud behind her. A gloved hand of a vaguely familiar bird tamer knocked her to the ground and covered her mouth, while the free, uncovered hand pinned her arms behind her.  
  
"Me."  
  
The fell cry of the falcon filled the bleak sky in the White Tiger village and Lee instantly realized something was wrong.  
  
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"One more time!"   
  
Tyson yelled emphatically and shot Dragoon back into the beyblading dish. Max responded by blasting his own blade into the dish, clashing Draciel's hard shell with Dragoon's steel claws. The two immediately summoned their bitbeasts and a veritable storm rose up inside the Bladebreakers' practice quarters. "Bring it on, Tyson!" The blonde American boy shouted, adrenalin pumped in his voice. The duo traded blows in the dish for another few minutes until Tyson, apparently gaining some ground, decided to pull out his newly developed secret weapon. "Go, Dragoon! It's time we revealed our new ace in the hole, eh? Phantom Hurricane Slash Attack!"  
  
His reptilian bitbeast roared approvingly before dodging a slash from Draciel's heavy claws and charging straight at the shelled creature. Dragoon stretched out both his razor-sharp talons before throwing his body weight into a spin, cutting straight for Draciel. Draciel's attempt to block it by raising both his arms might have worked if not for the hurricane appearing and adding even more deadly spin to Dragoon's attack. Max's bitbeast roared and disappeared as twin claws scythed into it. His beyblade screeched to an abrupt halt on the wooden floor after being blown away by the simultaneously summoned tornado.  
  
"Whoa! Great move, Tyson!" Max ran up to Tyson and extended his hand. Tyson smiled and shook it energetically. The Japanese boy laughed and scratched under his nose with his free hand. "I still have to come up with something better than 'Phantom Hurricane Slash Attack' though."  
  
Kai, who had been watching the entire match from the sidelines, smiled as it ended and turned around to look out at the muggy weather that pervaded his window view. There was so much fog he swore he wouldn't be able to see more than a feet outside.  
  
"Nice weather, huh, Kai?" Tyson asked with a grin. Kai turned his head and smiled thinly at his teammate.  
  
"If not for this fog I would have made you run laps around the dojo. You should be thankful."  
  
With that Parthian shot, Kai winked at Tyson and headed out of the room, pleased with himself.  
  
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Kai reclined in his rotating chair, closing his eyes in meditation. Inside his head, new modifications for Dranzer connected themselves with applicable tactics. He unconsciously smiled as he came across a particularly interesting combination.   
  
In the three years after they won their first World Tournament each of them had matured considerably. Tyson and Max had learned how to utilize strategies better and Ray had more or less learned how to be more open with his emotions. As for himself, Kai had lost his introvert shell and had become more approachable, if not wittily sarcastic and somewhat condescending.   
  
  
  
A telephone's ring interrupted his meditation and Kai grumbled angrily before reaching for the phone.  
  
"Bladebreaker residence. If this is another one of those stupid sponsors, I swear I'm going to-"  
  
"Kai, is that anyway to treat an old friend? It's Lee. I have some important news. Can you get Ray?"  
  
"This has something to do with Mariah." Kai said immediately, rolling his eyes. He heard the somewhat surprised reaction of Lee through the phone and smiled a hidden, self-content smile.  
  
"How did you guess? Anyway, get Ray now and the rest of you. This is very important."  
  
Kai raised an eyebrow suspiciously and lingered for a while, trying to decipher what could be so important to all of them. He sure as hell didn't care anymore what happened between Ray and Mariah.  
  
On cue, Ray strolled into the room, sweaty and tired after a lengthy practice session with Driger. He saw Kai sitting down with a glazed expression on his face and what was going on.  
  
"Hey, Kai. What's up?" He inquired and Kai, shaken out of his reverie, merely grunted and handed the phone to his Chinese teammate. The blue-haired stood promptly and walked out of his room while shouting for Tyson and Max. Ray stared quizzically after his team leader. He shook his head before sitting down on the chair Kai was relaxing in a few moments ago.  
  
"Ray, I've got some bad news." Lee said through the phone. Ray's heart stopped beating for an instant. He immediately realized this had something to do with the girl he loved so much. What could have possibly happened if her brother saw it fit to notify him?  
  
"Lee? What's going on here?" He asked nervously.  
  
"Well, Mariah's been kidnapped and we sort of received a-"  
  
"WHAAAAATTTT?!?"  
  
"Calm down! We received a note saying where we should find her. It said to bring company if we were distrustful but not to call any law enforcement agents."  
  
Ray's furious golden eyes were now as narrow as could be and would have probably bored holes through Kai if the Russian superstar was still in the room. He mentally calmed himself and took a few deep breaths before continuing the conversation.  
  
"All right. We'll go there right away." Ray said quietly before placing the phone down into the receiver.  
  
He stood up and turned on his heel. Ray walked briskly down the wooden corridors of the dojo and met his three teammates, who were staring at him inquiringly.  
  
"Mariah's been kidnapped. I'm going now and it's up to you to follow me." He said, his voice filled with utmost determination. Tyson shook his head and grinned as his raven-haired teammate strode past them.  
  
"Anything for the one you love."  
  
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Mariah spat at the face of the man who had abducted her as her gag was removed. The brown-haired bird tamer made a face as he wiped the spit off his face and glared at her. The pink-haired girl stuck her tongue out at him and he raised an angry fist up at her.  
  
"No! Not yet." A voice shouted, halting the descent of the tamer's fist.  
  
The kidnapper swore loudly in Chinese before shaking his head in frustration. He whistled and his trained falcon landed deftly on his shoulder. The silver-feathered bird of prey affixed a single golden eye on Mariah as the teenage boy turned around and walked out of the room. She breathed a sigh of relief when he and his falcon were finally out of the dimly lit, stone-walled room she was held captive in.  
  
The owner of the voice that had saved her stepped out from the shadows of a corner and walked up to Mariah, right under the lone light bulb that hung morosely from the center of the ceiling. His stature and build betrayed the fact that he was far older than the falcon-tamer he had employed to capture Mariah.  
  
"Ironic isn't it? My beautiful little bird of prey is able to capture the famed mountain cat of China. What do you think of it?" He said in a sonorous, cultured voice. He took one more step into the light and Mariah saw that he hid the upper portion of his face with an intricately carved golden mask.  
  
"I think you're a sick bastard, kidnapping me with another boy you probably kidnapped too."  
  
She struggled to free herself from the binding ropes that held her and looked up at the face of her enigmatic masked captor. The man stared down at her and frowned. She stuck her tongue out impudently at the tall man and renewed her attempts to remove her restrictions.  
  
"Wang? I did not kidnap him. He came here on his own accord. And I called him 'little' because indeed, he is not as important to me as the others I have under me." He said in his arrogant voice, before once more walking around the room.  
  
"Do not feel so unfortunate, mountain cat. I will release you once your brother, your boyfriend and their teammates arrive. You girls make very good bait."  
  
Mariah was puzzled. Girls? She stared inquiringly at her captor and moved so that she was sitting upright. Then the cold realization hit her. The man was using her as bait to draw out both the White Tigers and the Bladebreakers so it made sense he would want to lure the All Starz as well. Emily must be the other girl who he had taken.  
  
"What do you want from us? Luring all of us to wherever this is?" The Chinese girl shouted at the departing man and squirmed in her ropes. The masked man stopped and smiled back at his unmanageable captive.  
  
"Entertainment. I hear you people are quite good with the beyblade..." He laughed coldly before stepping out of the room, leaving Mariah all by herself.  
  
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-End of Chapter  
  
Read and review, please! 


	2. Cold Intentions

Beyblade Underground  
  
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Mariah's breath was cut to ragged slivers as she sprinted down the dank, mossy halls of the labyrinthine compound she had been brought to. Her botched escape attempt had been punctuated by the tripping of a laser system, which immediately pinpointed her location to her infuriated captors. Still, she couldn't give up now. Mariah had to escape so her teammates wouldn't get caught as well.  
  
"Get that girl! Dayo, Xavier!"   
  
A harsh European voice shouted and Mariah glanced over her naked shoulder to see the trunk of a whip snapping into the brick partitions, shattering the stone into powder. She swore under her breath and ran even faster. An ancient wooden door lay in front of her and blocked her immediate path.  
  
"Galux! Go!" She commanded and launched her beyblade at the obstacle.   
  
The door was blown to aged splinters and she rushed through it. Mariah scooped downwards and picked up her stationary beyblade. Another glance over her shoulder revealed the faces of two knights in golden armor, one carrying twin long swords and the other hoisting a giant whip. She heard the war cry of the whip-carrier and ducked as his weapon lashed out above her like a snake. The thick rope whip fell to the floor with a thud and she sighed in relief as she sprinted past it. "Bad move, White Tiger..." The silver-haired whip carrier hissed contemptuously, flicking the wrist ever so slightly.  
  
The rope encircled her ankle in a moment and yanked her to the floor. Unwanted tears streamed down her face as she struggled to escape from the approaching knights. The swordsman approached her and removed his ornate gold helm, revealing a tangle of shoulder-length russet hair. He bent down and cupped a hand under her chin.  
  
"Relax. You'll be released shortly anyway, all right? We learned that your friends are already in the country."  
  
"I'd rather be killed than have them be captured too!"  
  
He smiled reassuringly and stroked her cheek in a light, comforting manner. Mariah choked back a sob and recoiled from his touch. His silver-haired companion snorted in disapproval before unwinding his whip from Mariah's ankle and then raising it up to his shoulder. "Dayo, stop being so kind to the girl. Next I know, I'll be hunting you and the White Tiger down."  
  
"You forget who your superior is."   
  
  
  
The brown-haired knight shot back calmly and pulled Mariah up to her feet. The pink-haired girl brushed away the boy's hand and stood defiantly before them. The whip-carrying knight grinned at her rebelliousness and raised an armored hand to strike her but Mariah's fist was faster and he ended up stumbling backwards.  
  
"You bitch! I swear I'm going to-" He sprayed, and moved to hit her again but a threatening glare from his brown-haired cohort stopped him in his tracks. Dayo walked away with Mariah, who stuck a tongue out at the infuriated knight. She might as well take advantage of this guy's kindness for the time being.  
  
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Kai ducked and weaved around the hoodlums who had assaulted him inside the slums the Bladebreakers and White Tigers were traversing. He had expected some hostility when they entered the Chinese slum area but had not anticipated such a fierce attack. Thankfully, he had paired up both of his physically inept teammates, Tyson and Max, with the able Kevin and Gary so they would have some protection from the local thugs.   
  
He eased away from a straight arm punch thrown by one of his opponents and brought his knee up to the bulky man's elbow, which gave a very satisfying crack in response. The crunch of a boot behind him warned Kai to the movements of another and he spun around hard. His elbow met the bone and flesh of his would-be assailant's jaw. Kai threw his body around and flew upwards, snapping his heel into the torso of the man whose jaw he had shattered like glass. His body flew backwards and slammed into the last thug like a rocket. The two presently fell down, unconscious. The Russian walked up to the opponent with the busted elbow, who was getting up slowly. "Sweet dreams." A quick boot to the head and the punk was knocked out.  
  
A screeching cry of hundreds of crows filled the air and Kai looked up to see a mass of black feathers soaring overhead. "It was a trap..." He shook his head and sprinted after the murder of crows.  
  
He leaped onto a cart of fruits, knocking it over, and pushed himself up onto a ledge adjacent a dull gray building. Kai, his body pressed against the wall, scurried down the narrow ledge while he kept his eyes trained on the quickly diminishing cloud of birds. He dropped down onto less elevated rooftops, kept together by tires and metal plates, and broke into a run across the platforms. The audible crunch of metal under his feet preceded a loud, snapping crack and his fall into a pile of stored flour.  
  
Kai groaned and involuntarily clasped the wound on his left shoulder, where most of his weight had fallen. He brought his blood-smeared hand up in front of his face and swore loudly. He lurched forward, spat blood, and fell backwards, unconscious.  
  
Above him, the murder of crows circled hungrily.  
  
Ray braced himself as an open-palm punch sent him skidding backwards. In front of him was a ferocious cross between a man and a golden-eyed beast. He weaved to the side as the hybrid pounced forward and landed on all fours. In an instant, the beast had catapulted itself at Ray pinning him to the ground. The Chinese Bladebreaker pulled his legs up to his chest and kicked square at the creature's torso.  
  
"You... Good hit." The beast mumbled and Ray began to notice that he no longer looked quite so much like an animal. Instead, his features had become more defined and Ray realized he was in fact a boy of around his age. Apparently, the attacker had noticed this. "Surprised? That form is only my fighting technique, Ray..." Instantaneously, his teeth grew into fangs, his nails into claws and his eyes flash gold before appearing slit-like.  
  
Taken aback at the sound of his name, Ray fell prey to a lightning fast slash which cut his shirt's midsection into ribbons. He stumbled backwards and clutched his stomach, lining his hand with warm blood. He ducked as his opponent sliced the wall behind him into gray powder. Thinking quickly, he slammed his leg into the beast-man's knee, sending the assailant howling backwards. Ray leapt up and pushed the injured teenager towards the grimy walls of the slums. He grabbed the man by his throat and pinned him to the dirt-caked partition.  
  
"Where's Mariah? I really don't want to continue this but if you don't tell me..." Ray tightened his grip on the similarly black-haired boy's neck. The pinned attacker laughed hoarsely before becoming brutish once more and releasing an earsplitting howl. Ray flinched but kept his grip on the man's neck.  
  
"Tell me! This can end now!" Ray pleaded, staring determinedly at his captive.  
  
"It sure can."   
  
A screech filled Ray's ears and he turned his head just as a falcon swooped down and ripped through his shoulder with razor sharp talons. He released his unwilling opponent and grabbed his bleeding shoulder, his face warped into an expression of sheer pain. Stumbling back, he dropped onto his behind and leaned against the wall.  
  
The brown-haired falconer whistled and summoned his pet back to his gloved hand. He ran up to his gasping comrade and helped him back up to his feet, saying,   
  
"Huo, you all right?"  
  
"Thanks but no thanks. I'm fine. I expected my sister to be first to respond though."  
  
"Mae is finishing off Lee." The bird tamer replied calmly and gestured towards the injured Bladebreaker at the side. "Maybe we overdid it with him. He requested for his catch in good condition."   
  
Huo shrugged and replied, "We can have Li-Yun work on his injuries. Coincidentally, Wang, I want you to check up on his situation. I will deal with Kon here."  
  
In an instant, the falconer was off, leaping across the rooftops with the speed and grace of the falcon he controlled so well. Huo heard a distant whistle and looked up to see a murder of crows fly after his teammate obediently. He shook his head with a satisfied smile on his face and strolled up to where Ray was writhing in pain. "Not so big now, huh, Ray?"  
  
Ray grimaced in pain before shooting a look of pure venom up at the black-haired beast man.   
  
"How... do you know... me?" He asked with some effort, before coughing up blood.  
  
"I know all of you White Tigers. I know you because of the hateful blood that runs inside you." Huo replied spitefully, kicking Ray once in the stomach for emphasis. Ray groaned before glaring up at his captor.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"In you runs the blood of the White Tiger clan. The very same clan that drove mine so close to extinction decades ago!" He raved and grabbed Ray by the collar, his eyes flashing red hot vengeance. Huo breathed heavily before sighing and releasing his grip on the Chinese teenager. "He will explain it soon." Huo finished before backhanding Ray, knocking the Chinese boy out. He stared condescendingly at his victim's limp body before scooping him up and slinging him onto his shoulder.  
  
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Ray woke up with a pained groan and a throbbing in his head. He blinked and rubbed his golden eyes to come face to face with a very morose-looking Kai who was sitting across him. The Russian nodded in acknowledgement and began to recline on the ancient wooden bench inside their dank, prison-like confinement.  
  
"All right?"  
  
"Yeah..." Ray replied, slightly embarrassed with the fact that he had lost. "How were you caught?"  
  
"I fell from the roof and injured myself." Kai answered and Ray felt slightly better about his predicament. Kai's normally pale cheeks turned a slight pink from humiliation and he refused to share eye-contact with his fellow captive. "Anyway, we have an introduction with the master of these men-" Kai gestured towards the aged wooden door separating them from the outside. "Apparently all of us were captured." Something tweaked in Ray's head and he sat bolt upright.   
  
"Mariah!"  
  
Kai stared up at him with the calm, penetrating gaze he had adopted as his own.   
  
"Don't get too worked up, Romeo. She's fine. She's sharing a cozy little cell with Lee as we speak."  
  
Ray breathed a sighed of relief and sat tiredly on his own bench. Kai stared at his troubled teammate for a moment, before shutting his eyes and getting some rest. Just then, the door creaked open and a tall, well-muscled redheaded boy stepped inside. He kneeled down and silently removed the bandages on the Chinese boy's shoulder.  
  
"You are fortunate he wants you in fighting condition. I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for his order."  
  
Ray raised an eyebrow and took a good look at his captor. He slowly began to remember something about this enigmatic teenager. "Wait... I know I've seen you somewhere..."  
  
The redhead laughed and removed a vial containing a murky blue liquid from its hold on his belt. "He'll explain all of this in due time." He flicked three drops of the serum onto Ray's falcon wound and the Bladebreaker felt the pain lessen dramatically. "This is only a temporary solution. In time I will administer the complete potion." He got up, reattached the serum beaker to the long belt at his waist, and walked out the door.  
  
"I'll see you in the arena." Ray stood up and stared at the spot where his visitor was moments ago as a cold, sadistic laugh echoed through the halls. The Chinese beyblader shook his head in surrender before slumping back down into his seat.  
  
"Damn it."  
  
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"Max, are you all right?" Emily asked worriedly as a silver-haired knight in golden armor tossed the blonde American beyblader into her cell. Max scratched the back of his head and snorted a response before realizing who he was talking too.  
  
"Emily! What are you doing here? Hehehe... Got caught too, huh?" He asked energetically.  
  
The orange-haired girl blushed hotly and turned her head away from the optimistic Bladebreaker. He smiled and patted her on the shoulder from where he sat on his bench. "Hey, we'll get out of here! You can count on the Bladebreakers on finding a way out!"  
  
"Bladebreakers? All of you were caught too?" She asked, practically shouting at Max.  
  
"Yeah... We sorta got sidetracked while looking for Mariah." He smiled consolingly before getting up and sitting down beside Emily. He messed up her hair in a playful manner. The All Star's face turned a deep shade of red once more and she looked straight at the ground as to avoid Max's curious stare.  
  
"Aww, don't feel so embarrassed to have been kidnapped! We got kidnapped too, remember?"  
  
"No! It's not that..." She blurted and looked up at the blonde's somewhat oblivious stare. "Never mind."  
  
The door was presently forced open and an athletic teenage boy with spiky blue hair meshed under a reversed baseball cap stepped inside. "Michael!" Emily shouted but after a moment realized that this was in fact somebody else. The spike-haired boy shook his head and gestured for the two to stand up.  
  
"Better be the first and last time you confuse me with that guy. I'd hate to be confused with a rank amateur."  
  
He said arrogantly and began walking down the corridor for them to follow. The spiky blue-head coughed and wiped a spot under his nose with the back of his hand. He turned his head and looked at the two American prisoners disdainfully.  
  
"Although there are two of you, don't even think of subduing me and escaping. That silver-haired sadist is on patrol duty and believe me when I say you don't want to cross him." The guide remarked in an offhand manner. He fixed his attention on the dimly lit corridor ahead of them and continued down the path.   
  
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"Here we are! Keep your cool in front of boss-man. I'd hate to be the one to hunt you down, dude."  
  
The red-haired punk grinned widely before waving off to Tyson with a flick of his wrist. He straightened the broomstick-like hairdo he wielded on his head and proceeded to the door with a laidback swagger that Tyson noticed right away.  
  
"Scary." Tyson, amazed by his escort's punk-like personality, whistled before returning his attention to the silhouettes standing on an ornately carved ebony platform. He squinted in order to get a better picture of the partially hidden person and said, a bit loudly,   
  
"Hey! What's up with kidnapping us? I don't think we're worth that much, you know."  
  
"Financially speaking, you're correct, Tyson Kinomiya." The main figure replied in a deep, resonant voice.  
  
"You're a guy, huh? Anyway mister, if we're not that valuable in the first place, what's with the kidnap?"  
  
The man took a step out of his veil of darkness, revealing a tall, stately man whose hard-featured face was partly hidden by a gold mask. He laughed and stared intensely at Tyson.  
  
"Let's wait for your teammates first, shall we?" The mysterious kidnapper asked curtly. Tyson nodded. The man smiled in response before making a sweeping gesture to the expensive seating arranged throughout the auditorium.  
  
"Okay." Tyson answered in response to the silent offer. He walked over to one of the chintzy cushioned seats and plopped down, feeling the softness of the chair's material. "Nice stuff you have here. Way better than the cell you dumped me in." The Japanese boy commented and the masked figure smiled again.   
  
"That was only a temporary detainment cell. I'm sure you will not object to your later residences in my expansive compound."  
  
"Later residences? How long do you plan on keeping us here, anyway?"   
  
Tyson stood bolt upright and glared fiercely at his captor. On cue, the two concealed figures positioned behind the masked man walked out of the darkness and stared intensely and threateningly at the beyblader in front of them. The man raised a hand to hold back his charges. "Men." The two young men took a step back, but not so far back that Tyson couldn't see their hostile expressions.  
  
"Tyson, let's make one thing clear right now. You will be kept here for life. Eternity City is your new home."  
  
Tyson gritted his teeth before sitting down submissively. He shook his head and looked back up at his captor, who was looking back down at him with a placating sort of smile.  
  
"Eternity City? Never heard of that place before."  
  
"I'll show all of it to you soon." He smiled before tapping his foot impatiently. "Now, where are your teammates? Trust those three to be late..."  
  
"Late? I think your little Russian pet was just early." The raven-haired tiger-boy said defiantly, before shoving the Bladebreaker he had apprehended earlier inside the room. Ray shot daggers back at him before compliantly sitting down at a chair near where Tyson was sitting. The masked man pulled out a silver-plated pocket watch and checked the time, shrugging. "You are right. My apologies."   
  
He nodded contentedly in response before settling down into a cross-legged position on the floor.  
  
"Great! That means we're not late." The capped blue-haired athlete said happily before gesturing for Emily and Max to enter. One of the wards behind the masked man, a golden-armored teenager of well-built proportions, snorted and pointed at the orange-haired girl he had led in. "Emily was not invited to this party."  
  
The athlete glowered at him and was about to shoot an insult in the direction of the knight when the last pair stepped into the room. The masked man rubbed his hands together and beckoned towards the seats, where Tyson and Ray where already quite comfortably seated.  
  
"At last! Our list is complete. Now, first of all, I would like to formally welcome all of you to your new home in the underground!" He grinned widely, throwing his arms up for added effect. "All of you, including your easily captured friends in the other teams, will now fight constantly for the sole reason of entertaining my guests and I!"  
  
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End of Chapter  
  
I'm basically just trying to go back to the days when I really enjoyed what I wrote so don't expect too much from me, eh? I'm beginning to think my only real high point is my vocabulary and even that is diminishing... ^____^; Anyways, I'm completely open to your criticism and suggestions so bombs away, people!  
  
Review please!!! ~pyRO  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or plot of the Beyblade Anime. I'd be bathing in cash if I did. 


	3. Conspiracies within Conspiracies

Beyblade Underground  
  
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"Now if you will sit, masters, I will fetch you beverages for the match."  
  
The portly butler assigned to the Bladebreakers bowed before scurrying off. Kai sighed and shook his head in disapproval. He turned his head and focused his attention on the teams standing at the sides of the expansive dish at the center of the beyblading complex. The fully armored Majestics of Europe were facing down their similarly dressed counterparts, the Spartans. Much to the surprise of the Bladebreakers, a crowd had actually gathered from somewhere to watch the sport and were cheering for the Majestics', opponents, who seemed to be the favorites. High above the central audience area, the master of the entire operation stared down with his guests, whom the Bladebreakers recognized as the recently pardoned Voltaire and his cohort of scheming businessmen.   
  
"No doubt my grandfather was invited because of me."  
  
"Yeah... I guess someone like him must be involved in this." Ray replied blandly.  
  
Kai looked at his sullen teammate. "Worried about the White Tigers' own match?"  
  
Ray nodded and twiddled his thumbs in a depressed manner. "Their opponents are the undisputed champions of this place. I worry for all of them." Kai noticed the stress on the word 'all' and laughed mentally. The Russian boy folded his arms across his chest and stared appraisingly at the soon to start battle below him.  
  
"Forget about it. Lee can handle this. You should focus on the battle here. The Spartans will be our opponents later today." Kai said reassuringly without even glancing at his comrade.  
  
"Have you lost all hope of escaping to the point that you only care for the matches?" Ray asked a bit heatedly. Kai turned his head and stared calmly at Ray. "No."  
  
He returned his attention to the starting game, where Enrique was steeling himself for a match against the brown-haired knight standing in front of him. For an instant, he felt a small voice in his head flash by and say, "Liar." He squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.  
  
"Masters, I brought you the drinks. Shall I get anything else?"  
  
Tyson immediately leapt up and snatched a glass from the aging man's tray before spouting a list he was compiling of his favorite foods. Kai shook his head and stared reprovingly at the glutton he had for a teammate. "Can you even finish what you ordered, Tyson?"  
  
"Yeah! If we're stuck here, I might as well make the most of it-"   
  
He began but was cut off as a siren sounded off inside the relatively large arena. The Bladebreakers' attention was once again focused on the dish and they saw both beybladers ready themselves for their match.  
  
"Round One of the Majestics - Spartans match! Enrique versus Dayo!" Cheers at the latter's name.  
  
"Beybladers ready? Let it riiiiip!!!"  
  
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Under the Bladebreakers' intense gazes, Enrique grinned and launched his recently modified beyblade from his unique sword and shield launcher into the ancient ruins themed dish. In front of him, Dayo was spinning his twin swords over his head in a lethal duet. The Spartan shouted as he brought the two blades, one acting as the launcher and the other acting as the rip cord, down with tremendous force, releasing his own golden beyblade into the fray.  
  
"I have better things to do today. Sorry!" The Spartan apologized before swirling his swords around with amazing precision and grace. "Hydryon, attack!"  
  
Enrique laughed confidently as a black scaled, one-headed, serpentine dragon rose from the center of his russet-haired opponent's golden beyblade. "Haste makes waste, friend! You forget you are outnumbered!" The blonde European replied and held out his sword in front of him.  
  
"Amphileon, bring down that pathetic excuse for a bitbeast!"   
  
He commanded and his legendary two-headed bitbeast arose from the bit chip on his beyblade, which had replicated itself. Enrique's two-pronged attack came down hard on Dayo and forced the Spartan into a gradual retreat. The European smiled, satisfied, and looked up to see a similarly joyous expression plastered on his opponent's face. He raised an eyebrow and quickly focused on the match, only to find his twin beyblades surrounded by five of the golden knight's own.  
  
"What's going on here? Amphileon, attack!" Enrique shouted, panicked. Dayo laughed in response.  
  
"You think your bitbeast is so special? It surely must have been preceded by something, which, in this case, is my own, Hydryon! Watch this, Majestic!"  
  
Amphileon roared in frustration as it snapped again and again at the vulnerable necks of the monstrous lizard in front of it, only to find that they multiplied with each fallen appendage. In a few short moments, three more snake-like trunks rose from the torso of the black, wingless dragon. As such, the beyblades pounding on Enrique's now helpless duo increased in number in as well.  
  
The blonde Majestic gritted his teeth and wiped away a bead of sweat falling down his temple. He swept his arm back and commanded his blade to retreat from the startling offensive of his opponent. Dayo dismissed this cowardly tactic with a wave of his hand.  
  
"A true warrior must never step back from a battle. Give your best or give nothing at all!"   
  
He shouted and his beyblade army charged ahead, blowing away the stone ruins that were scattered around the dish into debris. They spun around in a confused, directionless manner, as if they expected to have found their elusive prey.  
  
Enrique laughed and grinned at his own genius. "Who said I was retreating? Go Amphileon!"  
  
The smoke was blown away as his two beyblades exploded onto the surface of the dish like missiles. The shockwave instantly sent the eight golden foes on the dish flying away damaged. His duo immediately scooted off to attack the stragglers with resounding force.  
  
"I was not top four in Europe for nothing!"   
  
He said happily as the battle began to go his way. Only 3 of his opponent's beyblade copies remained, spinning feebly at the edge. He guessed his own would be able to take on just three, weakened blades. Amphileon roared triumphantly before charging at the apparently crippled Hydryon before it. One sweep would cut off all the heads of the accursed bitbeast and bring victory to the feet of the Majestics.   
  
"I hate to say it, but you presume too much. Legion attack!" Dayo replied calmly, shaking his head.  
  
Six more serpentine necks sprouted from the base of Hydryon's chest, along with half a dozen more duplicates of Dayo's golden beyblades. The massive onslaught quickly derailed Enrique's plans, sending his beyblade and bitbeast flying over the edge of the destroyed arena.   
  
A claxon screamed over head and the crowd stood up cheering for the victorious Spartan, who bowed and waved to the audience in response. The brown-haired winner picked up his gold helm and walked away from the dish. Enrique shook his head sadly and walked back up to his teammates, shattered beyblade in hand.  
  
"Victory goes to Dayo and the Spartans! Next match, Leone versus Johnny!"  
  
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Tyson gaped downwards, his jaw moving up and down stupidly. He shook his head and pointed excitedly at the Spartans who had just demolished Enrique soundly. Tyson recalled having quite some difficulty defeating the Majestic all those years ago and wondered what kind of power would be required to defeat him so easily and soundly.  
  
"No way! Enrique was one of the top even with us around! How could that guy have beaten him without breaking a sweat? It was like his strategy covered everything Enrique could do!"  
  
Max ran a hand through his own blonde hair and frowned nervously.  
  
"And the line up says I have to go up against Dayo later! ARGH! What am I going to do?"  
  
Kai stared at both of them calmly for a moment, quieting both of them. He then returned his attention to the next match and bowed his head.   
  
"There was a point when he was confused... I just can't seem to form a strategy out of it though. Give me some time."  
  
"Well, at this rate, we don't really have much time. Let's hope we get lucky and don't get eliminated!"  
  
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Ray jogged down the exquisite wooden corridor and stepped out into a lush, tropical indoor garden. He held his breath for a moment as he took in all the beautiful sights and smells that were present, only to find himself staring at the most wonderful one of all.  
  
"Mariah." He gasped and rushed up to her. He engulfed her in his embrace and playfully nuzzled her.  
  
"Hey, Tiger! I missed you!" She replied and pressed her head against his. They continued their affectionate snuggling for another moment or two before pulling away and walking over to a small wooden bench in the center of the forest. Ray kissed Mariah on the cheek before wrapping his arm around her lithe frame and staring upwards. His heart sunk as he saw giant panes of glass instead of open sky, reminding him that he was still trapped inside the fortress.  
  
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Mariah asked and dropped her head onto his shoulder.  
  
"Ah... Nothing. So, how did your match go?"  
  
She snorted in reply. "Terrible! We lost all three matches..." She made a pouting face.  
  
"Same here! Kai's probably trying to drown himself in the showers." Ray held her closer in a consoling way. He bit his lip as he recalled his tense conversation with Kai earlier. His eyes involuntarily flicked to the glass panes above him.  
  
"Something's bothering you..." She stared up at him, her eyes filled with concern.  
  
"No! I'm just a bit tense because of our match. I didn't get a chance to battle..." He excused himself, flailing his arms up for added affect. Mariah laughed and drifted away to sleep on his lap. He breathed a sigh of relief and rolled his golden eyes to the heavens above. "That was close."  
  
Above him, a tiny sparrow watched curiously, noting the loving way the two teenage captives interacted. The bird chirped contentedly and flew off to its master, who was observing the two from the shadows of another entrance to the garden. Wang the falconer smiled happily as the bird, perched on his shoulder, whispered the events that transpired to him. He nodded with a content smile on his face. The sparrow chirped agreeably before flapping its wings off into the garden once more.  
  
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"Dayo, I have some news."  
  
The brown-haired Spartan was cheerfully playing a card game against his shorter, similarly russet-haired teammate when Wang entered the room. The falconer had a somewhat paradoxical expression on his face, as he seemed to be quite happy yet at the same time bore dire news. Dayo slapped down his hand of cards and grinned triumphantly at his defeated comrade. He stood up and wiped some dirt off his neat red T-shirt.  
  
"Hey, what's going on, Wang?" He asked in his usual cheery, friendly voice.  
  
Wang gestured for him to follow and walked over to a darker portion of the hallway. Dayo shrugged and strolled casually after his long-time friend and confidant. The falconer stopped and begun to lean against the wall. "You told me that you were feeling something for that White Tiger girl."  
  
"Yes. Nothing in our code of honor goes against that." Dayo replied confidently.  
  
The falconer coughed and folded his arms across his chest. "Does it say anything against claiming another man's woman?" He stared back at his warrior friend, his eyes a mix of both friendly concern and seriousness.  
  
"What are you saying, Wang?" Dayo's voice was now tinged with icy resentment.  
  
"She is taken, Dayo. I told you before she and that Kon had eyes only for each other."  
  
The Spartan immediately grabbed his friend's shoulders and pinned him even harder against the wall which he was leaning against. Wang fidgeted under his powerful grasp but kept his calm stare. He whistled and his pet falcon came flying down the hallway, landing quite near to Dayo.  
  
"I can take you down, Dayo. No matter how much I don't want to."  
  
Dayo sighed and released his friend from his anger-fueled grip. The falconer casually stretched his shoulders for a second, testing to see if they still worked right, and clapped a reassuring hand on his friend's own shoulder.  
  
"I am your friend and you are my friend. Ray and Mariah are not married yet, Dayo, and you can still win her over. If worst comes to worst, you can defeat him in combat." Wang said and Dayo retreated slightly, leaning back against the opposite wall.  
  
"Yes, but there is no guarantee..."  
  
Wang smiled reassuringly.  
  
"Trust me." His mouth twisted into an uncharacteristic feral grin. "She will be persuaded."  
  
Wang patted his somewhat mollified friend on the shoulder and raised his gloved arm, summoning his bird of prey. The falcon landed deftly on the padded glove and stared coldly at Dayo as the two walked away. As soon as they were out of earshot, Wang stroked the back of his falcon's head and smiled contentedly.______________________________________________________________________________________  
  
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End of Chapter  
  
Thank you for all the reviews! I promise I'll put more R/M later...  
  
The plot thickens! 


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